The relationship between the genetic and environmental influences on common externalizing psychopathology and mental wellbeing

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Kenneth S. Kendler, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics; John M. Myers, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics; Corey Keyes, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2011-12-01
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP): PDF allowed
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2011 Cambridge University Press.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1375/twin.14.6.516
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Twin Research and Human Genetics
• ISSN: 1832-4274
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 6
• Start Page: 516
• End Page: 523
• Grant/Funding Information: The 1995 phase of the study was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development.; Supported in part by (KSK) NIH grant MH068643.
• Keywords: Mental Disorders; Male; Sex Factors; Humans; Environment; Longitudinal Studies; Substance-Related Disorders; Aged; Pedigree; Psychopathology; Middle Aged; Follow-Up Studies; Gene-Environment Interaction; Risk Factors; Interviews as Topic; Adult; Female
• Research Categories: Sociology, General; Health Sciences, Mental Health; Biology, Genetics

Abstract

To determine the relationship between the genetic and environmental risk factors for externalizing psychopathology and mental wellbeing, we examined detailed measures of emotional, social and psychological wellbeing, and a history of alcohol-related problems and smoking behavior in the last year in 1,386 individual twins from same-sex pairs from the MIDUS national US sample assessed in 1995. Cholesky decomposition analyses were performed withthe Mx program. The best fit model contained one highly heritable common externalizing psychopathology factor for both substance use/abuse measures, and one strongly heritable common factor for the three wellbeing measures. Genetic and environmental risk factors for externalizing psychopathology were both negatively associated with levels of mental wellbeing and accounted for, respectively, 7% and 21% of its genetic and environmental influences. Adding internalizing psychopathology assessed in the last year to the model, genetic risk factors unique for externalizing psychopathology were now positively related to levels of mental wellbeing, although accounting for only 5% of the genetic variance. Environmental risk factors unique to externalizing psychopathology continued to be negatively associated with mental wellbeing, accounting for 26% of the environmental variance. When both internalizing psychopathology and externalizing psychopathology are associated with mental wellbeing, the strongest risk factors for low mental wellbeing are genetic factors that impact on both internalizing psychopathology and externalizing psychopathology, and environmental factors unique to externalizing psychopathology. In this model, genetic risk factors for externalizing psychopathology predict, albeit weakly, higher levels of mental wellbeing.